This is completely an OC/Mary Sue fic, so if you don't like them, don't read it. My muses will not leave me alone, so I am being forced to put this on paper. Disclaimer: I do not own the Musketeers.
Lily, Hali, Kara, and Bella walked along the merchant carts. They had spent the day at the Renaissance Festival.
Hali tugged at her ponytail and she ran her fingers through the black strands and they curled at the tips. It was starting to give her a headache, the humidity left her with little choice, but to leave it up. She was ready to leave, but the others were still shopping. "Are you three almost done?"
"Hali, we are just getting something to remember our day by. Come look." Lily held up a locket. There were four lockets left. One had a clear stone on the front, another an opal, the third a ruby and the last an amethyst. She would give Kara the opal, Hali the ruby, and Bella the amethyst. Lily walked up to the register and an elderly woman was waiting to ring her up.
"You chose the lockets. They are very special." She placed them each in a satin pouch and handed them back to Lily. "May they bring you luck and love." She smiled. "Oh and once you put them on, don't take them off if you want your luck to last."
"What do-" Lily looked around and found the woman gone. "I think the heat is getting to me. We should go."
The girls drove back to their apartment. They had the penthouse apartment. Kara's father had gifted it to her on her eighteenth birthday. He was business partners with Lily's father. "I'll get the margaritas started." Kara stated and headed to the kitchen. Bella followed her and started to prepare the glasses and limes. "Bells could you go grab the pitcher out of the closet?"
"Sure no problem."Bella quickly found the pitcher and brought it back out. "So what are the plans for tonight?"
"We could go out." Hali suggested.
"No way." Lily replied. "I am exhausted. How about we watch something?"
"Lord of the Rings?" Kara asked with a smile.
"No!" Lily yelled from the circular couch she was sprawled across.
"It's not our fault you look like an elf." Kara called back. Lily was the tallest of the group and had long, straight blonde hair with piercing blue eyes. "Your ears are even a bit pointy."
"If I had the energy." Lily retorted from her spot on the couch.
"You would do a whole lot of nothing." Hali stated coming out of her room having changed into black yoga pants and a black tank top. Her hair was back in the braided pigtails that she normally wore.
"You changed already?" Kara asked carrying the pitcher into the living room and setting it on the coffee table.
"I wore that horrible outfit you put me in all day Kara. At least let me enjoy the evening."
"You looked beautiful." Bella said as she brought the tray of glasses out.
"So what are we going to watch?" Lily asked from her corner of the couch.
"Since we traumatized Hali so much today, it's her choice." Kara said. Her brown curls were started to escape the bun she had placed them in this morning. She was ineffectively trying to pin it back.
"The Musketeers."
"Shocking choice." Bella pulled out one of the discs and placed it in the player. They all settled in for an episode with their margaritas in hand.
"I got something for all of us." Lily pulled out the lockets. "The woman at the store said they brought love and luck, but only if you kept them on." A chorus of thank yous came out as the girls each put a locket on. Then everything changed.
They stood in the middle of a court yard. "How did we get back to the Ren Fest?" Kara asked. She pulled at her sweater as she noticed some of the men looking at her in a less than proper way.
"I am not sure this is the Fest, Kara." Bella swiveled her gaze. None of the area looked familiar for the first few moments and then it hit all of them at once. "Do you all know where we are now?"
A man in a charcoal leather jacket approached them. "Ladies, may I ask what you are doing here?"
Hali stepped forward. "Athos?"
"Yes. Can I help you?" He asked looking more unfriendly as the seconds ticked on.
"We are lost." Lily looked paler than usual.
Kara took her hand and squeezed it. "We will be okay Lily." She said softly, trying to comfort her friend.
"How can this be okay?" Lily asked, starting to look frantic.
Hali turned to her friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will be fine. I will make sure of it." Hali replied. "Athos, we need your help."
"Why don't we discuss this further in the Captain's office." Athos escorted the ladies up to Treville's office. They were starting to attract a lot of attention and his brothers were already there. The men all turned as they saw Athos enter, but were surprised to see 4 women following him.
"Ladies." Aramis removed his hat and gave a slight bow.
"Athos, what is the meaning of this?" Treville asked.
"They are lost." He replied simply and moved to stand next to his brothers.
"May I ask, what are you wearing, where are your clothes?" D'artagnan asked. They were bordering closely on indecent. On second thought, most were indecently dressed.
"We were robbed. This is all we could find." Kara replied.
"I was not robbed. I am perfectly comfortable with how I dress." Hali replied.
"I think I am going to be sick." Lily was the fragile one of their group. She had been very sick growing up and although she was now in better health, she was awkward and still very weak. She was also nervous around people she didn't know. It made her a little sister to all of them.
"Lily, it is going to be alright, I promise." Hali turned back to the Captain. "We were traveling and we have been left here with only what you see."
"Have one of the men go get Constance. Tell her to bring some clothes for our guests." Treville said to the young man near the door. The young man left, leaving the four women and his four musketeers. "We will get this all sorted out. I am Captain Treville of the King's musketeers. This is Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'artagnan."
Hali knew full well who they all were. "Nice to meet all of you. I am Hali, this is Kara, Bella and Lily. Thank you for your assistance."
"It is our pleasure. We could never abandon such lovely ladies in their hour of need." Aramis said as he approached the girls, turning on the charm until his eyes fell on Lily. "My lady, you do not look well. Please sit." He took Lily's hand and led her to a nearby chair. Aramis looked her over and found nothing wrong with her, but continued to talk with her, fearing some sort of shock was setting in.
"Are you hurt?" He asked her hoping there was not some injury he was missing.
"No, I am just not used to this much excitement. I was very ill most of my life and it left me alone in my room for most of my life. I assure you, nothing this exciting happened in my nursery." Lily's voice was barely above a whisper.
"I see. You are feeling better now?" Aramis asked referring to her state now, but also to her former illness.
"Much, thank you." She replied taking interest in the small rings on her fingers.
"Are you enjoying Paris?" Aramis asked, ducking his head to catch her gaze.
"Would it be alright if I said no?" She said shyly, raising her gaze to meet his.
"Of course. You seem to have been through quite an ordeal today." Aramis replied playing with one of the strands of her long blonde hair. It was so light colored it was almost white. She was also very pale, but a small twinge of color was coming back to her cheeks. "A beautiful woman such as yourself, should never be left in the situation you have found yourself in."
Lily blushed. "I have been in much worse situations, I assure you. When I was sick -"
Her voice trailed off and a haunted look entered her eyes. Aramis placed his finger under her chin and raised her head to look at him. "Let's talk of more pleasant things. Do you have a suitor?"
Lily laughed and it was a genuine laugh that sounded strange to her ears. She hadn't really laughed in a very long time. "I do not."
"Splendid!" Aramis replied with a smile. Aramis already had a brotherly feeling towards the young girl. He would watch over her. She seemed like such a lost soul with a great sadness in her heart and that would just never do.
"Lily are you alright?" Kara asked crouching down next to her.
"I am fine." She replied with a smile and Kara noted the smile actually reached her eyes.
Kara walked over to Porthos after making sure that Lily was okay. Aramis had Lily smiling, talking, and color had returned to her cheeks. "Do you like being a musketeer?" She asked.
"Love it. What I was born to do."
"It must be comforting to have such purpose." Kara said looking out the window, down onto the garrison.
"I s'pose. Never really thought 'bout it." Porthos replied.
"I want to have purpose, but I just seem to wander aimlessly." Kara muttered, not even realizing she said it out loud until Porthos answered.
"P'haps fate has somthin' in store for ya."
"Perhaps." Kara looked over at her friends. Bella was talking to D'artagnan and Athos and Hali were practically staring each other down. "They should be fun." She gestured towards Athos and Hali.
Bella found herself standing alone with D'artagnan. He was absolutely gorgeous, even more handsome than on the show. "So, um, nice weather we are having?" Bella mentally face palmed herself. Talking to men was never her forte and his smile left her insides feeling like goo.
"Yeah, not bad for spring in France."
"I can't believe we are in France." Bella heard the words leaving her mouth before she could stop them.
"You are not from France then?" D'artagnan asked.
"We are from the colonies." Bella reached up and pulled the scarf from her head, which allowed her hair to fall on her shoulders.
"Your hair is purple!" D'artagnan said with a slight panic to his voice.
"Shit, I forgot about that." Bella replied. She then realized that she swore and D'artagnan gave her an amused smile as he watched the realization of what she said dawn on her face. She had just colored her hair a few days earlier and it was the lightest purple she had ever seen, but it was still purple. "It is popular in the colonies."
"Why?"
"It is form of fashion there." Bella replied, hoping that this conversation would come to a merciful end soon.
"I need to find a place for them." Hali said to Athos as she looked around the room. She was the only one that was not from a wealthy family. She was befriended by Lily and the rest was history. The others had no idea what it was like to fend for themselves, so it was up to her to get them through this. "What options do I have for them?"
"You may stay here for now and we will find a place for all of you." Athos responded, taking in the girl in front of him for the first time. Her raven colored hair was in two braids on each side of her head and her light blue eyes were in stark contrast to her olive colored skin. She was wearing pants and a shirt with no sleeves that did not reach the band of her pants. She was definitely athletic looking and did not seem to fit with the rest of group, who were all in dresses and had their hair styled. There was something off about the whole group. He also wanted to know how she knew his name, but there would be time for that later.
"Thank you, Athos." Hali watched as a woman arrived in the court yard and headed up the stairs.
"Constance!" D'artagnan hurried over to her and started to introduce her to the girls. She took the girls into the next room and helped them get changed.
A threatening roar came from door right before it opened.
"Absolutely not!" Hali walked out in a floor length dress. "I will not wear this."
"Hali, you look beautiful." Kara pulled her arm and dragged her backwards. "Stop being such a boy."
"I am not a boy and I am not a princess, so stop trying to make me into some fluffed up princess. Go be someone else's fairy godmother!" Hali yelled, glaring at Kara. "Lily may be more than happy to follow you whereever you go and Bella will follow Lily, but wake up, we are in serious trouble. A dress is not the answer to our problems." Hali yelled and the girls were now nose to nose. "And I can't breathe in this stupid thing!" She was gasping for breath.
"Hali, calm down." Athos stepped forward and pulled her away from Kara by the waist and guided her out the door. They walked over to the railing, where Hali had a death grip on the railing board trying to hold herself up. "Breathe." Athos commanded. Her breathing coming in small strained gasps. He pulled the tie on the corset and it released it's grip on the girl's rib cage.
Hali took gasping breaths, as if she had been underwater for a long time. "Thank you."
"You cannot get upset like that, in a dress like this." Athos said with a soft smile. He retied the corset, but left it looser than it had been. He wanted to give her the ability to breath.
"Athos, I am not meant for this." Hali gestured down to the dress and around the court yard.
"Let me help you." Athos stood in front of her, so close the clouds from their breaths were one large puff. The spring air still holding a chill to it.
"I don't need anyone's help." Hali said looking down at the yard.
"Yet I am still offering it." Athos swept his hand across her upper arm and it felt chilled. "Let's go back inside." He opened the door and held it open as Hali went back inside. Porthos was talking softly to Kara. The young girl looked distressed.
"Hali, I'm sorry." Kara rushed over to her. "I know you are as upset as I am. I shouldn't have pushed you into doing something you were not comfortable with."
"Kara, it's okay. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Hali said with a gentle smile.
"No you should have. I promise, I will stop trying to change you." Kara hugged Hali,who patted her back uncomfortably.
Hali was not the hugging type. "Kara, I am going to figure this out. I promise."
"So, what are we going to do about my hair?" Bella asked interupting the reconsiliation of the pair.
Hali was trying not to laugh. "Hope it fades?"
"Cute."
"She's right you know." Lily chimed in. "It will fade, but until then we will keep it covered up."
"I am going to get changed." Hali said walking out of the room.
"Changed into what?" Kara asked.
"You know Hali." Bella replied.
Hali returned a few minutes later in a men's shirt and pants. "Much better." Kara shook her head and Lily softly giggled into Aramis' shoulder. "Athos, show me around the garrison."
Athos bowed his head and followed Hali out of the room. "Interesting change in attire."
"Thank you." They reached the training area of the garrison. One of the new recruits was trying to best one of his fellow recruits with a sword, but was soon back in the mud with a scratch for his trouble. "His footwork needs work."
"Agreed." Athos replied.
Hali picked up one of the swords. It was perfectly balanced. "Nice sword." She grabbed one of the daggers and listened as they practically sang when they slid against each other.
"Do you know how to use one?" Athos asked with genuine curiousity.
"Do you?" Hali replied with a smile.
Athos drew his sword. "Shall we?" Hali's reply was a swat at his sword with her own. After a few minutes, Athos paused the action. "You are an excellent swordsman."
"Medieval Times had to be good for something."
"Medieval Times?"
"A restaurant where I worked. I fought as a a job. Lots of swords. I also was a fencing prodigy at one time."
"Your job was to fight?"
"One of many jobs I have had."
"Where are you from?" Athos asked. "Where do they allow women to fight as a job?"
"I can't talk about it." Hali looked over at him. "I am sorry." She knocked his sword with her dagger. "Where were we?"
"About here." Athos replied with half a smile. He was impressed with how fluid she was. He dare say that she was better than D'artagnan, when he arrived, and he was impressed with the boy's skills.
The activity in the yard had attracted a crowd and the girls followed the musketeers to the balcony. "She's good." Aramis said with a touch of admiration.
"Very good." D'artagnan replied, watching with interest. She was giving Athos a run for his money.
Lily watched with a soft smile on her lips as she slid the locket along it's chain. It was nice to see Hali so relaxed. Yes, she was currently sword fighting with Athos, but she seemed to be at home and more comfortable than Lily had seen her in years. Perhaps the elderly lady was right. Perhaps these lockets would provide luck and maybe love, too. "Let's hope." She whispered softly.
"You should go back inside Lily." Aramis said softly. After having heard she had been ill most of her life, he didn't think the cool spring air would do her good. He took her arm and led her back inside.
"Aramis, how do you feel about matchmaking?" Lily asked with a sly smile.
He gave her a knowing smile in return. "What did you have in mind?"